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It might be stating the obvious, but your car's headlights are a safety device, and not all headlights are created equal. For a while, carmakers have been fitting powerful LED headlights to their high-end offerings, but more often than not, their cheaper cars—and particularly cheaper trim levels—get saddled with much-weaker illumination. But sometimes a commuter wants to see more of where they're going when the sun goes down. Eventually, they go looking for a solution, starting with their local automotive parts store. But stuffing aftermarket LED headlight bulbs into OEM housings designed for conventional halogen units results in dangerous glare for oncoming drivers. While LEDs can deliver more intense light at a higher end of the spectrum, most aftermarket units also create a hazardous condition.

The major brick-and-mortar auto parts stores know this, which is why they tend to shy away from aftermarket H11 LED bulbs, other than ones clearly marked for use in fog lamps or "for off-road use only." It's a different world online, with off-brand H11 LED bulb listings on Amazon, eBay, and Walmart websites failing to carry the same prominent warnings.

You can get pulled over for non-spec headlamps, and for a good reason. In addition to issuing a citation, the law enforcement officer may have the legal right to force you to remove the bulbs. More ominously, once the officer has pulled you over, you risk a vehicle search. With all that in mind, it would be wise to keep a set of securely packaged OEM bulbs in the glovebox or trunk if you are running aftermarket LEDs.

Further Reading

With LED technology rapidly evolving, the industry in a constant beta-test state. While the lighting giants are incredibly cautious in bringing new products to the market, as drivers we're all guinea pigs on four wheels for off-brand manufacturers that spin out new bulbs like chickens lay eggs. The lack of regulation enforcement and objective, independent testing puts lives at risk.

OEM leverage, yes. Aftermarket? No.

Although Consumer Reports tests new vehicle headlamps, it hasn't tackled the topic of LED replacement bulbs, despite Consumer Reports' extensive resources. A comprehensive Consumer Reports aftermarket LED replacement bulb test would go a long way to bring clarity to the market. Consumer Reports' testing of conventional replacement bulbs found that while aftermarket units can improve headlight brightness, there's much more to it than that. "Distance and how far a headlight illuminates is governed more by the reflector (behind the bulb) or the lens (ahead of the bulbs). While you can change the bulb, you are not changing the distance, i.e., not necessarily improving safety."

Further Reading

High-end headlights are now a must if an automaker wants the coveted Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick+ designation for a particular model of car. While IIHS performs exhaustive headlamp testing with new cars and SUVs in their laboratory and test track, it does not have an official position on aftermarket replacement bulbs for older vehicles. The IIHS recommends that you make your vehicle purchase decisions carefully, considering not just the make and model but the specific trim level.

What can you do?

Do your lighting research before you make your next vehicle purchase. Headlamp technology has typically been bundled with the trim level. The base model would get fitted with reflector headlamps, with projectors offered in the mid-range and higher trim levels. Adaptive headlights have been the preserve of the top trim levels. All that means that less-expensive vehicles are often stuck with reflectors across the range in America. (IIHS recently changed its testing rules and will now only give its coveted Top Safety Pick+ to models that offer the best headlights across all trim levels.)

The Ford Fiesta is a case in point. While self-leveling projector headlamps are available in the Fiesta ST overseas, Ford saddled domestic Fiesta STs with poorly performing reflectors.

Fiesta owners got stuck between a rock and a dark place. While they can adapt an expensive imported OEM projector housing, those housings lack side marker lights, making them illegal for domestic use. The lack of a proper solution forces Fiesta ST owners looking for LEDs to stuff LED replacement bulbs into the original reflector housings, for better or for worse.

Although bulb replacement is relatively quick and easy, the crucial process of beam alignment often gets overlooked. Consumer Reports stressed that "headlamp alignment is key to limiting/controlling glare to oncoming and followed drivers."

LED bulbs make the problem worse. While halogen filaments deliver 360-degree illumination, LED bulbs typically emit light with a pair of back-to-back 180-degree planes. When LED alignment gets skipped, oncoming drivers are blinded, as are drivers ahead of them in traffic. Poorly aimed headlamps are especially bothersome with pickup trucks and SUVs due to the vehicle height.

If you choose to install aftermarket LEDs, do your homework. Find a reputable manufacturer and domestic retailer. Buy based on quality, not price. The optimal LED replacement bulbs mimic OEM halogen filament bulbs as closely as possible. The worst bulbs are a stab in the eyes. And don't skip alignment—take your time and do it right.

Is enforcement from Washington, DC inevitable?

Aftermarket LED replacement bulbs are illegal, but there's little enforcement at the federal level. We checked in with NHTSA and a spokesperson told us the following:

"There are currently no LED headlamp replaceable bulbs that meet federal safety standards. NHTSA is aware of illegal retrofit kits that are being sold to consumers and works closely with US Customs and Border Protection to prevent shipments containing these non-compliant headlamp bulbs from entering the United States. NHTSA continuously researches emerging technologies with the potential to enhance roadway safety."

The legit aftermarket industry wants to do the right thing. As an example, Holley recently introduced a line of Bright Earth LED replacement headlamp bulbs. Holley's online sales pages include a proper and prominent disclaimer:

WARNING: THIS REPLACEMENT LED HEADLIGHT BULB SET IS SOLD FOR OFF-ROAD USE ONLY. This product should not be used on the road. This product has not been tested for compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard FHMVSS 108 or Canadian Standard CMVSS108. It should not be used on the road or in any other application requiring compliance with FHMVSS 108, CMVSS108, or Title 49 section 571.108, United States Code.

The biggest online retailers need to catch up. While some sellers include a disclaimer that aftermarket LED bulbs shouldn't be used on the street, Amazon sales pages do not.

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316 Reader Comments

We've gone through this already when everyone was swapping their reflectors for Xenon projectors but the car wasn't rigged for the self-leveling that's mandatory. Around here, you could get your car impounded for that, because it would become road-illegal.

These things are goddamned plague, so the sooner something is done, the better. Unfortunately for me, I live in a state that doesn't bother to do any sort of yearly emissions/safety testing, so they'll probably never go away and I'll be blinded in perpetuity.

You can get pulled over for non-spec headlamps, for a good reason. In addition to issuing a citation, the law enforcement officer may have the legal right to force you to remove the bulbs. More ominously, once the officer has pulled you over, you risk a vehicle search. With all that in mind, it would be wise to keep a set of securely packaged OEM bulbs in the glovebox or trunk, if you are running aftermarket LEDs.

Does anyone seriously believe a cop is going to catch you out for illegal headlights?

Are they really that bad? I'm not sure if I'm seen them. As a sedan driver, I'm nearly blinded by any other car on the road higher than me with HID headlights which is everyone in a crossover or pickup these days.

The legit aftermarket industry wants to do the right thing. As an example, Holley recently introduced a line of Bright Earth LED replacement headlamp bulbs. Holley's online sales pages include a proper and prominent disclaimer:

Quote:

WARNING: THIS REPLACEMENT LED HEADLIGHT BULB SET IS SOLD FOR OFF-ROAD USE ONLY.

For legit offroad use, why would you even want to use your vehicle's integrated housing? Seems like you would want something mounted up higher for better distance, because you're offroad and it's now legal to have something mounted up higher for better distance. Is the aftermarket actually trying to "do the right thing" in building bulbs that are fit and socket compatible with your integrated housing, or are they trying to cover their ass by sternly suggesting you not break the law?

The OEM lights are pretty terrible for other drivers, too. I hope they can sort this problem out, and soon.

Not when aimed properly. OEM lights will have a proper cutoff above which another driver's sight height would be.

When you go mucking about with that (the biggest offender being HIDs in halogen housings, but LEDs are pretty bad in the wrong housing as well) you get a lot of high scatter that goes right into other drivers' eyes.

These things are goddamned plague, so the sooner something is done, the better. Unfortunately for me, I live in a state that doesn't bother to do any sort of yearly emissions/safety testing, so they'll probably never go away and I'll be blinded in perpetuity.

You just need to switch to a vehicle with a proper ride height, like everyone else with a lifted full-size pickup truck.

The legit aftermarket industry wants to do the right thing. As an example, Holley recently introduced a line of Bright Earth LED replacement headlamp bulbs. Holley's online sales pages include a proper and prominent disclaimer:

Quote:

WARNING: THIS REPLACEMENT LED HEADLIGHT BULB SET IS SOLD FOR OFF-ROAD USE ONLY.

For legit offroad use, why would you even want to use your vehicle's integrated housing? Seems like you would want something mounted up higher for better distance, because you're offroad and it's now legal to have something mounted up higher for better distance. Is the aftermarket actually trying to "do the right thing" in building bulbs that are fit and socket compatible with your integrated housing, or are they trying to cover their ass by sternly suggesting you not break the law?

In a world where those Holley bulbs cost as much as a set of decent Hella xenon offroad lights 5x brighter I'll give you one guess as to whether they're actually for offroad-use.

The legit aftermarket industry wants to do the right thing. As an example, Holley recently introduced a line of Bright Earth LED replacement headlamp bulbs. Holley's online sales pages include a proper and prominent disclaimer:

Quote:

WARNING: THIS REPLACEMENT LED HEADLIGHT BULB SET IS SOLD FOR OFF-ROAD USE ONLY.

For legit offroad use, why would you even want to use your vehicle's integrated housing? Seems like you would want something mounted up higher for better distance, because you're offroad and it's now legal to have something mounted up higher for better distance. Is the aftermarket actually trying to "do the right thing" in building bulbs that are fit and socket compatible with your integrated housing, or are they trying to cover their ass by sternly suggesting you not break the law?

Well, I'm sure that your question is rhetorical. Virtually ALL off road vehicles go on road to get off road. Yeah, there are the trailered thingys that people play with. Most of those don't have much in the way of headlights anyway and that's not the market those manufacturers are trying to hit.

It's the same group of people who buy aftermarket exhaust systems marked 'for off road or racing use only'.

Be nice if we could amp up the enforcement on all of these sorts of things, but that doesn't appear to be in the cards.

EDIT: People with radically modified vehicles (sporting said lighting and exhaust mods, among others) are not the type to drive anywhere at night other than the local mall.

While Headlights are a big issue there is also the police flashers which are way to bright at night.

They need to have a photo sensor to sense the amount of sun light and lower the brightness at night.

They should also have a some means to be more selective when the vehicle is stopped. You want the lights to be seen at a distance, but not blind people as they try passing the stopped police car. I came close in hitting a policeman as I couldn't see him as I held my hand up to block the bright lights.

If anyone wants to know WHY replacing a bulb with a different bulb type in headlights is a problem, it's basically this: The shape of the light source is different. Modern headlights (even cheap-ass halogen or LED reflectors) are computer-modeled based on a specific type of bulb. (Here is an example of how the brightness distribution is different between different bulb types). The reflector or lens or both are designed to spread the bright sections into an evenly-illuminated field with defined cutoffs. With limits to the amount of light that shines outside that specific area. By changing where the bright part of the bulb is (even if the bulb itself is the same shape), you change the distribution and likely move the bright sections to parts that get reflected or focused outside the area that is supposed to get the bright light. This is what causes unnecessary glare for oncoming traffic. (This, and aiming them wrong, but this is the part relevant to after-market bulbs). As I understand it, there is actually software specifically written to take a modeled light source and a goal light distribution, and any physical space constraints, and design a reflector, waveguide, or lens (or combination) to give you the specific light distribution you want, automatically. So sure, buy higher brightness bulbs if you want to see better.. (And with halogens, you want to replace them once a year anyway because they get dimmer over time way faster than you realize) but make sure they're the same technology as your previous bulbs, which means the light distribution will be the same.

The main problem with newer headlights is the sharpness of the beam edge. With older halogen bulbs, the edge of the bean fades gently. With new ones, it's a sudden shift, so even properly aimed beams can appear to be flashing high beams when going over bumps, for example.

ban the sale of any "retrofit" kit designed to let you put HID or LED "bulbs" into halogen housings.

Period. The drooling morons who put these things in their cars think they can "See better" because their shitty glaring headlights make road signs dazzle. And they sit there and say "nobody's flashed their brights at me so they must not bother anyone."

And for those wannabe hicks who put those ultra-bright LED lightbars on their pickups and light them up on the road, it should be legal to rip those things off of their brodozers and beat them with it.

The OEM lights are pretty terrible for other drivers, too. I hope they can sort this problem out, and soon.

Not when aimed properly. OEM lights will have a proper cutoff above which another driver's sight height would be.

When you go mucking about with that (the biggest offender being HIDs in halogen housings, but LEDs are pretty bad in the wrong housing as well) you get a lot of high scatter that goes right into other drivers' eyes.

I’ve been coming across a number of newer car models where the shear brightness and harshness of their lights is very distracting. Many are higher end German, I think. And I don’t think it’s that they’re aimed incorrectly (and it’s very unlikely they’re aftermarket).

It’s that as an oncoming driver you inevitably and often end up in their throw, coming around slight bends in the road, when approaching from a lower elevation, etc.

Probably can't stop it happening - but the incidence of occurrence can likely be significantly reduced by prosecuting (with a hefty fine) those whose vehicle contravenes relevant legislation.

Unfortunately, in the US those are basically covered by an "Improper/defective equipment" citation which you can have waived if you go back to the police dept. or courthouse showing you've corrected the situation. Given police are used as revenue collectors most of the time, they're not going to waste time citing people for a ticket that will likely just get canceled.

I ride my motorcycle all over the American & Canadian west. These damn LED lights are a friggin nuissance. And they are everywhere. I see no difference in frequency state-to-state, which makes me doubt that, in the west anyway, law enforcement has the time or energy (or legal leverage?) to do anything about it.

The OEM lights are pretty terrible for other drivers, too. I hope they can sort this problem out, and soon.

Not when aimed properly. OEM lights will have a proper cutoff above which another driver's sight height would be.

When you go mucking about with that (the biggest offender being HIDs in halogen housings, but LEDs are pretty bad in the wrong housing as well) you get a lot of high scatter that goes right into other drivers' eyes.

Jesus Christ, "cutoff" is not the only important thing! a shitty, refracted ragged beam is shit even if you have an incredibly awesome cutoff.

Now, what about those "retrofit" jobs in which the beam cutoff still appears sharp? Don't be fooled; it's an error to judge a beam pattern solely by its cutoff. In many lamps, especially the projector types, the cutoff will remain the same regardless of what light source is behind it. Halogen bulb, HID capsule, cigarette lighter, firefly, hold it up to the sun—whatever. That's because of the way a projector lamp works. The cutoff is simply the projected image of a piece of metal running side-to-side behind the lens. Where the optics come in is in distributing the light under the cutoff. And, as with all other automotive lamps (and, in fact, all optical instruments), the optics are calculated based not just on where the light source is within the lamp (focal length) but also the specific photometric characteristics of the light source...which parts of it are brighter, which parts of it are darker, where the boundaries of the light source are, whether the boundaries are sharp or fuzzy, the shape of the light source, and so forth.

TL;DR: You need more than just a pair of eyes in order to properly evaluate headlamp aim and beam pattern. But this is America, where everyone thinks they're an expert in everything.

The legit aftermarket industry wants to do the right thing. As an example, Holley recently introduced a line of Bright Earth LED replacement headlamp bulbs. Holley's online sales pages include a proper and prominent disclaimer:

Quote:

WARNING: THIS REPLACEMENT LED HEADLIGHT BULB SET IS SOLD FOR OFF-ROAD USE ONLY.

For legit offroad use, why would you even want to use your vehicle's integrated housing? Seems like you would want something mounted up higher for better distance, because you're offroad and it's now legal to have something mounted up higher for better distance. Is the aftermarket actually trying to "do the right thing" in building bulbs that are fit and socket compatible with your integrated housing, or are they trying to cover their ass by sternly suggesting you not break the law?

Of course they are covering their ass. The absolutely know 99.9% of sales will be for on-road use but they can say "see we said don't use it on-road" and with weak or non-existent regulation that is all they need.

LED intended for actual off-road use should be required to use a different incompatible socket from OEM lights. Would it stop everyone? No but it would do a lot more than "off-road use only wink wink" on the side of the box.

I was thinking about getting LED headlight bulbs for my car. Not for visibility, but just to avoid having to replace the damn things every six months. After reading this, I won't be doing that anymore.

The OEM lights are pretty terrible for other drivers, too. I hope they can sort this problem out, and soon.

Not when aimed properly. OEM lights will have a proper cutoff above which another driver's sight height would be.

When you go mucking about with that (the biggest offender being HIDs in halogen housings, but LEDs are pretty bad in the wrong housing as well) you get a lot of high scatter that goes right into other drivers' eyes.

Jesus Christ, "cutoff" is not the only important thing! a shitty, refracted ragged beam is shit even if you have an incredibly awesome cutoff.

Now, what about those "retrofit" jobs in which the beam cutoff still appears sharp? Don't be fooled; it's an error to judge a beam pattern solely by its cutoff. In many lamps, especially the projector types, the cutoff will remain the same regardless of what light source is behind it. Halogen bulb, HID capsule, cigarette lighter, firefly, hold it up to the sun—whatever. That's because of the way a projector lamp works. The cutoff is simply the projected image of a piece of metal running side-to-side behind the lens. Where the optics come in is in distributing the light under the cutoff. And, as with all other automotive lamps (and, in fact, all optical instruments), the optics are calculated based not just on where the light source is within the lamp (focal length) but also the specific photometric characteristics of the light source...which parts of it are brighter, which parts of it are darker, where the boundaries of the light source are, whether the boundaries are sharp or fuzzy, the shape of the light source, and so forth.

TL;DR: You need more than just a pair of eyes in order to properly evaluate headlamp aim and beam pattern. But this is America, where everyone thinks they're an expert in everything.

Right, but I was referencing OEM lights which meet regulations for beam pattern which is what the person I quoted was referencing.

Aftermarket retrofits which is what you're talking about are pretty much all trash without spending way more than the typical consumer looking at this is willing to put forward.

I used to have a car that had "adaptive" headlights that swiveled horizontally for turns, and maybe you could do the same thing with something that controlled the vertical as well. While not applicable to these aftermarket kits, perhaps one solution for new vehicles would be to use some type of "self-leveling" headlamp assemblies, maybe with a gyroscope (or something) to keep it level even when going over speed bumps (including compensation for roads with steep grades). It would need some fast activators, for sure, but that's within mechanical engineering capability already. Then maybe that could cut down the blinding effect of these powerful LEDs for oncoming traffic.

Edit: I guess "self-leveling" is already availble to some extent, but maybe not active motorization for minute, fast changes over bumps, etc.

The legit aftermarket industry wants to do the right thing. As an example, Holley recently introduced a line of Bright Earth LED replacement headlamp bulbs. Holley's online sales pages include a proper and prominent disclaimer:

Quote:

WARNING: THIS REPLACEMENT LED HEADLIGHT BULB SET IS SOLD FOR OFF-ROAD USE ONLY.

For legit offroad use, why would you even want to use your vehicle's integrated housing? Seems like you would want something mounted up higher for better distance, because you're offroad and it's now legal to have something mounted up higher for better distance. Is the aftermarket actually trying to "do the right thing" in building bulbs that are fit and socket compatible with your integrated housing, or are they trying to cover their ass by sternly suggesting you not break the law?

Well, I'm sure that your question is rhetorical. Virtually ALL off road vehicles go on road to get off road. Yeah, there are the trailered thingys that people play with. Most of those don't have much in the way of headlights anyway and that's not the market those manufacturers are trying to hit.

It's the same group of people who buy aftermarket exhaust systems marked 'for off road or racing use only'.

Be nice if we could amp up the enforcement on all of these sorts of things, but that doesn't appear to be in the cards.

EDIT: People with radically modified vehicles (sporting said lighting and exhaust mods, among others) are not the type to drive anywhere at night other than the local mall.

"Virtually ALL off road vehicles go on road to get off road."

True.

The other part of that is that a huge percentage of "off-road" vehicles never actually go off-road.

The OEM lights are pretty terrible for other drivers, too. I hope they can sort this problem out, and soon.

Maybe if the factory headlights didn't suck so badly, people would be satisfied with them.

2016 Toyota RAV4 XLE with "projector" headlights. The things are a disgrace. High beams illuminate the trees. Yes, they're properly adjusted. They are weak and just suck.

Different manufacturers are definitely better than others. I travel a lot for work and I find myself in a wide variety of brands of rental cars. I'm shocked that at times the OEM halogen based projectors on my wife's 2011 can be better than the lights on a brand new GMC or something.

I did have a 4-Runner recently that I did find particularly bad at night. I thought the headlights weren't on and it was just the DRLs.

The OEM lights are pretty terrible for other drivers, too. I hope they can sort this problem out, and soon.

Maybe if the factory headlights didn't suck so badly, people would be satisfied with them.

2016 Toyota RAV4 XLE with "projector" headlights. The things are a disgrace. High beams illuminate the trees. Yes, they're properly adjusted. They are weak and just suck.

In my Mazda the high beams are just standard bulbs. Only the main headlights are Xenon projectors. The projectors work great I rarely use the high beam - then again on a dark road by myself I have occasionally hit the leveler to raise the projected light 😈

While Headlights are a big issue there is also the police flashers which are way to bright at night.

They need to have a photo sensor to sense the amount of sun light and lower the brightness at night.

They should also have a some means to be more selective when the vehicle is stopped. You want the lights to be seen at a distance, but not blind people as they try passing the stopped police car. I came close in hitting a policeman as I couldn't see him as I held my hand up to block the bright lights.

Its worse in the fog or rain!

That's why you're supposed to move over a lane, or slow way down if that's not possible, when you see a vehicle parked on the side of the road.

One of the big issues for OEM LED's, is that max headlight brightness (At the federal level) is not determined by brightness (say, lumens), but by their wattage. And that wattage was based off of halogen lights. Which is very inefficient.

Compare a 60W LED vs a 60W Halogen, and there is a gigantic difference.

But also, cheap chinese lights that have no focus on them and are more of a flood light than beam light are terrible.

While Headlights are a big issue there is also the police flashers which are way to bright at night.

They need to have a photo sensor to sense the amount of sun light and lower the brightness at night.

They should also have a some means to be more selective when the vehicle is stopped. You want the lights to be seen at a distance, but not blind people as they try passing the stopped police car. I came close in hitting a policeman as I couldn't see him as I held my hand up to block the bright lights.

Its worse in the fog or rain!

That's why you're supposed to move over a lane, or slow way down if that's not possible, when you see a vehicle parked on the side of the road.

I've seen flashers so bright that they obfuscate which side of the curved section of highway the cop is even on. Police light bars are irresponsibly bright these days.

Funnily enough I remember when folks were making the exact same arguments over halogen bulbs. They're offensively bright, should be banned, outlawed etc. If our headlight laws were updated to post 1975 levels and we could have smart bulbs like sie Germans then one it's damn near impossible to just shove an aftermarket setup in there and two most wouldn't need or want to add they're extremely bright but auto level, turn with the road, etc. Lobby your senators for some change to archaic laws. Also a good deal of auto manufactures make it a real pain already to just slap in an hid or LED bulb with things like can bus etc. Now sure you can get around it but it's a bit more work. Same with the complaining about anything aftermarket exhaust. New vehicles take do much more work to put on a nice full exhaust than the days of old.

Probably can't stop it happening - but the incidence of occurrence can likely be significantly reduced by prosecuting (with a hefty fine) those whose vehicle contravenes relevant legislation.

Unfortunately, in the US those are basically covered by an "Improper/defective equipment" citation which you can have waived if you go back to the police dept. or courthouse showing you've corrected the situation. Given police are used as revenue collectors most of the time, they're not going to waste time citing people for a ticket that will likely just get canceled.

How many of those people are going to put that improper equipment right back on their vehicle? Seems like you could refuse the benefit of the doubt on the second identical infraction.